The number of people with disabilities and beneficiaries of various forms of social assistance in northern Montenegro has been growing rapidly in recent years and is disproportionately large compared to much larger cities, which indicates a large number of frauds and damage to the state budget of several tens of millions of euros annually, which no one controls or tries to prevent.
This is shown by official reports, as well as documentation that "Vijesti" received from several interlocutors from social work centers and the Ministry of Social Welfare. The record holder for the number of people with disabilities, beneficiaries of other benefits based on that disability, other people's care and assistance, and other similar income is Rožaje, where more than half of the population uses some social income and benefits.
The people of Rožaje take 700 thousand, and all the people of Kotor take five thousand.
The interlocutor of "Vijesti", who submitted documentation and data with the request that his name not be mentioned, pointed to a drastic example that in February alone, people with disabilities from Rožaje showed that they had 10.147 trips for which they were subsidized tickets and travel expenses in the amount of 700 thousand euros. In Podgorica, which has nine times more inhabitants than Rožaje, this subsidy in the same month amounted to 90 thousand euros, and in Kotor, which has the same number of inhabitants as Rožaje, 5.779 euros.
In 2016, people with disabilities from Rožaje used subsidies for about a hundred trips per month, and now that number has increased a hundredfold. In total, 75 thousand euros were paid out to Rožaje that year, and now that figure in one month has been ten times higher.
In Montenegro, since 2008, there has been a special law called the Law on Travel Benefits for Persons with Disabilities, according to which these persons are entitled to receive a subsidy in the amount of the ticket for 12 trips per year in bus and rail transport on the territory of Montenegro. To exercise their right, they need to submit the ticket they purchased. They are also entitled to compensation in the amount of the ticket price if they travel in their own vehicle, in which case they need to submit their statement that they traveled. In both cases, they are entitled to a subsidy for the costs of a companion, as well as for the costs of tolls.
Since the number of people with disabilities and care recipients has increased fivefold in the meantime, and since almost all of them use the maximum number of trips to the most distant destinations, the amount of subsidies paid on this basis has increased drastically.
Comparative data shows how much this humane idea has turned into an organized fraud and devastation of the state treasury. In February 2016, a total of 100 people from Rožaje submitted a request for a ticket subsidy, who were then paid 4.637 euros, and in the same month this year, 1.040 people with disabilities from that city made a total of 10.147 trips, for which they were paid subsidies of 700.008 euros.
Diaspora also benefits from multiple scams
"This is a multiple fraud involving multiple state institutions, from medical commissions to those who are supposed to control them, but no one is doing anything despite multiple reports and pointing out the problems. How is it possible that in a city the size of Rožaje with 23 thousand inhabitants, we have over four thousand people with severe disabilities and how is it possible that this is not disputed by anyone? Most of these people do not even live in Rožaje, which can be seen from the period of collecting benefits and submitting applications for subsidies. This happens during periods when the diaspora usually comes - for holidays and during summer vacations. Then the money that was paid to them in the meantime is withdrawn and they return to Western Europe where they live and work," said the interlocutor of "Vijesti".
He also states that the payment of subsidies for 10.147 trips by disabled people from Rožaje mostly relates to requests submitted in January during the diaspora's stay.
"From the requests, it can be seen that the majority made all 12 trips for which they are entitled to a subsidy during that two-week period during one year. There are cases where the trips took place day after day, that is, they started a new trip before they could return from the previous one. Almost all of them took a companion, for whom the subsidy also applies, and almost all of them traveled on the Rožaje - Herceg Novi route because the most expensive domestic ticket for it is the one that can be obtained at the Rožaje Bus Station. They no longer have to bother with a falsely issued bus ticket, but simply write a statement that they traveled in their car from Rožaje to Herceg Novi for 12 days and withdraw a thousand euros. The law does not prescribe any form of control and when this was discovered, there was a drastic increase in the number of these trips," said the interlocutor of "Vijesti".
According to data on monthly payments, in January this year, subsidies of 263 thousand euros were paid for four thousand trips of people with disabilities from Rožaje, and in March, 1.748 thousand euros were paid for 106 trips.
In March, 685 thousand euros were paid for travel for people with disabilities from all municipalities, and in February 1,52 million, of which 700 thousand were paid for Rožajske alone and 852 thousand for all others.
Similar things are happening in other municipalities in the north, on a somewhat smaller scale. In February, 1.479 thousand euros were paid for 83 trips for people with disabilities from Plav, while at the same time 72 trips from the twice-larger Tivat were subsidized with 5,8 thousand euros.
In Bijelo Polje, subsidies were paid in February for 2.205 trips for people with disabilities in the amount of 116 thousand euros, while in Podgorica, which has almost five times more inhabitants, there were 1.834 subsidized trips with 90 thousand euros.
In Berane (excluding Andrijevica and Petnjica), subsidies were paid in February for 1.549 trips in the amount of 83 thousand euros. In Budva, which has three thousand more inhabitants than Berane, subsidies were paid for 151 trips in the amount of 8,9 thousand euros.
In Pljevlja, subsidies of 74 thousand were paid in February for 1.136 trips, and in Kotor, with almost the same number of inhabitants, 5,7 thousand euros for 135 trips.
Five times more people receiving care from others
The number of beneficiaries of the care and assistance allowance in Rožaje in 2016 was 657 to 728 per month, and now in March it was 3.385, i.e. it has increased fivefold. In 2021, there were 1.100 beneficiaries of other people's care and assistance in Rožaje, and the record was in September 2023, when the number of these beneficiaries increased to 4.011 severely disabled persons who need the care and assistance of another person. There is a slightly smaller increase in beneficiaries of other people's care and assistance in other municipalities in the north.
For example, Rožaje, Bijelo Polje and Berane with a total of 85 thousand residents have 10,5 thousand beneficiaries of other people's care, while Podgorica with 200 thousand residents has only 7,7 thousand beneficiaries of this benefit.
The personal disability allowance now amounts to 318,94 euros, a person who is not a beneficiary of the care and assistance allowance on behalf of the personal disability allowance receives 201,97 euros, the care and assistance allowance amounts to 93,57 euros, the parent/guardian of a beneficiary of the personal disability allowance receives 276,34 euros per month. For unemployed persons with disabilities, the allowance from the Institute amounts to 260 to 450 euros, plus pension contributions on that amount.
"Why, even after multiple reports, do the authorities not take any measures to prevent evident violations of laws, ethical norms and principles? Why are the people who point out the problem literally silenced at public hearings where the minister also participated when pointing out corruption in Rožaje again? Why have questions from local media outlets on the topic of corruption in Rožaje never been answered? Are they aware that they are belittling real people with disabilities in this way," said the interlocutor of "Vijesti".
He points out that there are also illogicalities in the number of beneficiaries of other benefits paid through social work centers.
"It is not normal that Rožaje, after Podgorica, has the largest number of beneficiaries of child benefits - a total of 743 in the amount of 107.399 euros per month. It is not logical or possible that Rožaje, with a population of 23.000, has the same number of beneficiaries of material security as Podgorica, with a population of 200.000, where in Rožaje they are paid 126.551 euros per month on this basis. It is definitely not normal that the number of beneficiaries of travel subsidies in Rožaje is higher in February than in Podgorica, Nikšić, Bar, Kotor, Herceg Novi, Danilovgrad and Cetinje combined. How is it possible that real persons with disabilities from other municipalities do not exercise the right to travel, while Rožaje travel to Herceg Novi and back every day for 12 consecutive days. Who is politically interested in this not being controlled, that it lasts for years with an increase in the number of 'beneficiaries' and that tens of millions of euros are stolen annually," asked the interlocutor of "Vijesti".
"Vijesti" sent questions to the Center for Social Work in Rožaje regarding the incredible growth in the number of beneficiaries of travel subsidies, people with disabilities, and beneficiaries of other people's care and assistance, and how they control them, but did not receive any answers.
The number of beneficiaries of other people's care and assistance (severe disabilities) in March this year totaled 38 thousand, which is 20 thousand more than five years ago.
Doctors were right, the Center must pay
While the Center for Social Work from Rožaje did not respond to questions, the director of the Berane Center, where there is also a significant increase in the number of people with disabilities and beneficiaries of various assistance, Petar Pajkovic tells "Vijesti" that these are beneficiaries who, based on the opinion of the social and medical commission, have met the requirements.
"The Center is obliged to enable every citizen who submits a request and meets the legal criteria to exercise their rights, without discrimination and in accordance with the principles of equality and legality," said Pajković.
When asked how the state protects itself from fraud in these cases and how it controls beneficiaries, he states that in order to prevent possible abuses, the Center conducts regular annual audits of beneficiaries of the right to material security, as well as field checks when there is suspicion of changes that may affect the realization of the right.
"Also, users are legally obliged to report any change that may affect the realized right. In cases where it is determined that the user no longer meets the conditions, the Center issues a decision to suspend the right, and if it is determined that abuse has occurred, the procedure for returning the funds is initiated," said Pajković of possible controls among users of material security, stating that their information system is connected to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Taxation, Cadastre, ... and that it automatically detects changes among these users.
When asked how they check requests for travel benefits for people with disabilities, Pajković stated that in accordance with the Law on Travel Benefits for People with Disabilities, they carry out the procedure for approving and paying compensation based on proper documentation and valid decisions on social protection rights.
"Payments are made exclusively on the basis of completed and proven trips, as prescribed by the above-mentioned Law," said Pajković.
How can you determine that someone traveled in their own car if the only evidence is their statement about it?
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